The Lottery

(login to rate)

And the next number is…50. This is the percentage of students in low-income communities who will not graduate from high school by the time they are 18. Pulled from the enlightening documentary THE LOTTERY, this fact reflects the failures of our traditional educational system and sheds a much needed light on America’s current achievement gaps directly linked to income level, and consequently, race. Fortunately, some have been lucky enough to find an alternative to this overwhelming dilemma. One answer is charter schools, which are schools that are alternatively funded, often run by non-profit organizations, and continuously delivering higher test scores and improved levels of education in their students. Regrettably, there are more applicants than there are spots. Thus, these schools must employ a lottery system in which each child’s destiny is determined by the luck of the draw. Focusing specifically on Harlem, the film shares the stories of four African-American children whose parents have entered them into the lottery for Harlem Success Academy, a particularly esteemed charter school that offers inner-city children a chance at a better life. Will they be given this opportunity, or will they just have to join all of the other children in New York who must try again next year? – M.M.

This film is presented with the generous support of JOHN, JACKSON, and AMY SINNENBERG on behalf of BREAKTHROUGH CHARTER SCHOOLS.

Sidebars	Standing Up Competition, Pan-African Images
Producer	Madeleine Sackler, Blake Ashman-Kipervaser
Cinematography	Wolfgang Held
Editing	Madeleine Sackler
Director Bio	New York based filmmaker Madeleine Sackler attended Duke University.
Select Filmography	"Mechina: A Preparation" (2005), THE LOTTERY (2010)
Print Source	Great Curve Films greatcurvefilms@gmail.com www.thelotteryfilm.com

People who purchased tickets for
this film also bought:

Pinned
Applause
Wind Journeys
Falkenberg Farewell
First Voice Ohio

Past Screenings

Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 1:50 PM
- with FilmForum
Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 7:05 PM

There are no comments for this film. Login to comment.

The Lottery

Past Screenings

Member Comments